The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service provides items required for academic research work which are not held by a particular campus library or any of the UKZN libraries. These items are borrowed from any library in the country that forms part of the ILL agreement. There are charges in certain circumstances, please consult the ILL office before you submit requests.

ILL facilities are available on all five campuses. Please use the ILL services offered by your campus library or contact ILL staff at your campus for assistance.

1. UKZN inter-campus loans

Borrowing items from a different campus library from where you are based is also handled by ILL. Please contact the ILL office to complete a request form. The item will be dispatched to your library if available, where you may collect it and the item must be returned back to your library. Note that certain requests may involve a charge.

2. Loans from other South African libraries

Books and journal articles may be borrowed from other libraries. Journal articles are often scanned and emailed. There is a charge if they are photocopied and posted. Some South African libraries levy additional charges. It is the right of the loaning library to decide on the length of the loan period.

It is difficult to say how long the item will take to arrive as UKZN ILL has no control over the loaning institution’s turn around time and factors such as postal strikes. All book loans are posted via ordinary mail.

Where should I look before applying on Inter-Library Loan?

You should first check the Library iLink catalogue to see whether the item you need is available in your campus library. If it is not available, then place a request.

Can I request Inter-Library Loan online?

Yes, please contact the ILL staff on your campus who will apply to Sabinet in order to issue you with a login and password for the PreRequest service. This will enable you to place your requests online via the Sabinet online (Sabinet Reference) database collection.

Who can apply for Inter-Library Loan?

All staff members and registered students who have a valid student or staff card. Subscribers may use the ILL facility but will have to pay extra for this service as the reciprocity agreement between UKZN and other institutions does not cover ILL for subscribers.

What information do I need for an Inter-library loan request?

Book requests require details of the author, title and subtitle (in that order), publisher, date of publication, ISBN number, edition.

Journal requests require author and title of the article, title of the journal, date, volume and issue numbers as well as, if available, page numbers of the article.

Please supply your contact details, name and staff / student number and department if you are a staff member.

How will I know when it arrives?

You will be notified by email.

Where do I collect and return items borrowed?

Photocopies are yours to keep. Books must be returned by the due date provided on the pink slip in the book, to the Inter-Library Loans office from which the book was collected. Fines are levied on overdue material.

Can book loans be renewed?

Renewals are not guaranteed but are usually granted by the loaning library. Please request a renewal from your Inter-Library Loans office by email before the due date, preferably one week before the due date.

Inter-Library Loans costs

Please enquire at any Inter-Library Loans office about possible fees. Fines for overdue ILL materials are R5.00 per item per day. Library privileges will be withdrawn until fines are paid in full.